Knox News - Clay, Quiana, Angela Are "First-Rate" Vocalists

Betsy Pickle of Knox News gave a nice review of Clay's concert in Knoxville last night:

Review: With personality and charm, Aiken holds own at Tennessee

Singer Clay Aiken opened his Sunday night concert at the Tennessee Theatre by tackling a local legend, and he held his own admirably.

Aiken’s voice was mostly rich, warm and powerful, though he strained on some high and quiet notes. Parler soloed on “When the Lights Go Down” and Fisher on “Listen,” both beautifully.

They say that love is blind — it’s certainly deaf as regards Aiken’s supporters. The set list was heavy on songs from “A Thousand Different Ways,” which is basically a tribute album to the cheesiest power ballads of the past three decades.

All three of the vocalists are first-rate, so it seemed a pity that their repertoire was so deeply steeped in adult-contemporary elevator music. They and the fans deserve better.

But Aiken brings something to his shows that few acts bother with: his personality and charm. His banter with Fisher and Parler and self-deprecating wit (who says he isn’t cool?) made up for the gazillionth interpretation of “Because You Loved Me.”

The reviewer later blogged on the her Knox News blog, The Pickle Dish, with some additional thoughts on the concert. She makes many valid points, and like other people who have commented on her blog, the only problem I see with her post is the fact she failed to point out that it was Clive Davis who "insisted" Clay do a CD of covers - a CD Clay himself did not want to do...

Clay has a beautiful voice. Clay has a lousy repertoire.

Why in the world would anyone spend $50+ to go hear yucky songs and then drive two or more hours to go see him do the same show the next night or sometimes even two or three more nights? What's wrong with you people??!!

I believe in fan loyalty. I also believe that Clay got ripped off on "American Idol's" second season. How he lost to Ruben Studdard I'll never know (and I'm not sure I believe he did). Onstage, Ruben has all the personality of a fire hydrant, while Clay is funny and engaging. I'm glad that millions of viewers/listeners recognized Clay's talent and have supported his post-"Idol" endeavors.

These [covers] are bad, bad songs, my friends. It doesn't matter that Clay's voice could make "You Light Up My Life" sound like something worth listening to -- it isn't worth listening to, and neither are those abysmal power-ballad covers. I don't know who forced Clay to put all that junk on his album, but he should have pulled a Kelly and refused. He doesn't need, in 2007, to be singing the same kind of tired tunes that they made him do on "Idol" in 2003.

There were many positives to the show. The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra sat in with Clay and performed marvelously. Clay and his back-up singers, Angela Fisher and Quiana Parler, sounded great together and separately. They also obviously are tight as friends and were able to banter together very naturally. There was a lot of chit-chat during the show. Some of it was wittier than others, and some had the unmistakable air of being part of the regular show patter. However, it was funny to hear Clay marvel at the fact that an 18-year-old male was in the front row -- he said that's the first time that had ever happened -- and then to call for the house lights to be raised to show the other 18-year-old guys (about half a dozen) in the audience. He mocked himself and expressed sympathy to the men present for their presumably forced attendance.